The Way I Wish Things Were
by Imperica
Summary: Chi (short for Chelsea) is a normal 10th grade girl, with a normal life. No powers, no ghosts. Just the challenge of school in Kyoto, Japan. Then suddenly her whole life is turned upsidedown.rnCHAPTER 4 Now UP!
1. A wild Saturday

**DISCLAIMER pokey dokey, please be smart. I don't own YYH!  
**

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There was little daylight left. You ran through the empty desert with no intention of stopping. What he did to you was horrible. You thought you would never love anyone ever again because of his acts. Your legs start to ache after the pounding of your bare feet running through the rocks and dried plants that wedged themselves somewhere in between your ankles and your toes. The desert seemed to never end; the sun getting more intense as it raced you to the horizon. Suddenly a large rock hit your foot and you could not take it any more. You fell over, landing on your side in the middle of an unforgiving desert. Grasped by a sharp pain crawling up your ankles, you convulse slightly and then open your eyes just enough to see the shadow above you. A shiny object that looks like a knife was raised above you, and it brought it up and was about to jam it into your side when—you woke up.  
The alarm next to your bed had been ringing since 6:45, and it was now 7:57. No wonder your dreams had been so weird. The alarm was simply the radio, which just so happened to be the "read your horror stories" time. Gasping, you looked at your clock again and raced to get your school uniform on. 

"Okay, it is skirt, undershirt, tie, and shirt. Skirt, undershirt, tie, shirt!" you mumbled in your closet.

You struggled every day to get your uniform on right, which took you up to a half hour per morning. Almost every day, routinely, the principal would walk by your first period class to find out what she could yell at you for today. School was a bore usually, homeroom was about as fun as typhoid fever. The people were not only the most troublesome in the whole grade, but the class was labeled "the leftovers" over time (as to say, these were all the kids the other teachers didn't want).  
Carelessly, and late, you grabbed your bag, a box of pocky, 20 and a soda, all while rushing out the door. The school was about a quarter mile from the house so you got your early morning jog while going to school. This time you didn't have time for casual cantering. You couldn't talk to the friendly old woman that always waited at her perfectly painted white gate every morning, simply a quick smile and a wave sufficed.

Normally you were at school right about when the bell rang, but today something stopped you. A few blocks from the school, you stopped in amazement to see a guy, so beautiful and stunning that you couldn't take your eyes off him. You weren't the boy-crazy type like the school royalty, the people that thought they were the best there was. People like that just boiled your blood. You couldn't even stand to be ten feet from them.  
The guy had red hair that went down to his shoulder blades, but it was not messy at all. It had two pieces that fell in front of his ears, with short "bangs" in the front. There was no good way to describe him, you decided, and you lost yourself in staring when you didn't realize that he was staring back at you. He had the most beautiful emerald eyes, sparkling, perfect emerald eyes. They also looked different from everyone else's eyes. Like there was something he was hiding that slowly devoured his soul. It took you a few minutes to realize you were staring at each other, when he humbly laughed and said that you would be late for school.  
You woke from your dazed state to have just enough time to be late to class. The principal walked by and pulled you out of class for your morning "talk". She started to tell you about how you needed to get your eyes off boys and start thinking about improving your schooling. You just simply ignored her most of the time, as usual. You couldn't seem to get him off your mind. He goes to your school, because he was wearing your school's uniform. By the time she shoved you back into class, you were racing to second period.  
The rest of the day slugged by, and finally the last bell rang. It was a miracle that you were the first one out the door. Maybe the people knew that you were thinking about something and didn't want to be disturbed. As the front door of the school burst open, you stared vehemently at the ground while still marveling over the guy's beauty. You didn't realize you were totally red-faced when you looked up to say sorry to a person you bumped into. They stared at you funny as if to say, "What's wrong with your face?" but you just kept walking.  
You tried to shake him out of your mind by buying a box of mo-chi. You sat down at the table but barely ate at all. Suddenly your whole head felt cold, like you had dove into a freezing pool. That was weird to you, because it was eighty degrees out side today, in Kyoto, Japan. The trees were still, the flowers their bright and cheery yellow. Something was wrong though, and you knew it. You turned to the forest across the street, the feeling intensifying. That is when you left the crowd of flocking tenth graders to cross the street, even though everyone looked at you like a fool. The street was not very busy, luckily for you, and you jumped across the street divider. You entered the mouth of the forest, your whole head pounding like an ice cube thrown out in the hot sun too quickly. Wind suddenly picked up and blew your skirt around.

"Who's there?" you asked to the wind.

No response.  
You cautiously walked deeper into the forest, your consciousness wavering with every step. The dankness of the forest seemed to swallow you in a palpable blanket of anxious air, wrapping you tighter and tighter with every step.

"What is going on?" you thought dizzily.

You walked a few more steps, feeling like your feet were tied to cinderblocks.  
A black shadow flashed from one tree to another, and then it disappeared.  
There was a clearing, but after you walk through the darkest part of the forest.  
Running heavily, you dragged yourself toward the opening of the clearing.  
Right when you reached the opening, it was the answer to your question, your head-freeze…  
There were sixteen flashes of light.  
Then, there was darkness.

* * *

Yes, I suck at Cliffhangers. '  
Please go easy on me! It's my first fic, so I'm a little ... issued.  
RR!  
FYI-  
Baka Idiot  
Nigen ? (help wit this?)  



	2. What ?

**DISCLAIMER... **Don't we all get tired of these? **I DONT OWN YYH! **

And also, Some corrections from the last chapter...  
"grabbed a box of pocky, 20 dollars and a soda..."  
And in the comments at the end of the chapter...  
"R **and** R!"  
"F.Y.I (for your information)-  
Baka **EQUALS **idiot  
Nigen **EQUALS** I'm not really sure... I think it's girl? (a little help?)

**

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**

"Am…am I alive…?" you mumbled slightly, rolling over onto your side.

There was a stabbing pain in your side; you brought your hand back to your face to see a blood drenched hand. You rolled over again, and then opened your eyes to see bright, curious red ones staring a centimeter away from yours. His hand was rested on your cheek. The owner of these beautiful eyes was short, and had an enormous amount of spiky black hair with a graceful white starburst in the center. He seemed rather strange though, you got that "head-freeze" when you looked into his eyes. Something about him…he had a smell to him that made you shake. He was one of a kind; that was for sure.

"Who…are you?" you asked.

You sat up. He looked away rather bashfully, his face suddenly no longer curious. You stood up, after realizing what was going on, and clutched your side. He had amazing speed, and he caught you as soon as you blacked out. Your head was swimming and you slowly opened your eyes. Everything was fine, except there was the faint smell of roses floating in the air. You touched where your wound was, and it was gone. Normally there were no roses in Kyoto, none in the small, rural rice farm that you lived by. The only reason you knew what roses were was that last year for Valentine's Day, someone left one sparkling red rose on your desk. You would never forget this rose though, it was different. This rose is still pinned on your wall, next to your mirror, with the note that came with it. It was still sparkling and luscious red like the moment you first saw it. The note was simple. It said:

_Happy Valentine's Day, Chi. May this rose last as long as I. _

_  
_Chi was your nickname, short for Chelsea. You had no idea who it was from, or why they sent it. You had never seen such beautiful handwriting, it was perfect and curved, definitely something of someone highly educated. Getting up, you grabbed onto a bench in the park to steady you.

"Did I fall asleep…? Was that really all a dream?" you said, and then you touched your face, right were the mysterious black-haired person's hand was lying, and your face turned red.

"No…I'm sure I felt him…"

(Me: "okay... okay... so I stole that from Keiko...")

After a brief, but slow walk home, you opened the front door to your house. You could barely call it a house; it was more like an apartment. You set down your school bag you were still carrying when you noticed something. Your bag was open, and inside there was a shirt just like the one you were wearing except blood drenched on the side. You got a sick feeling and then cautiously sniffed your shirt. It smelled not only like roses, but an intoxicating aroma that made your legs feel weak and your heart skip a beat.

"It almost smells like…" you paused, talking to yourself, "that guy in the forest… so he does exist."

Suddenly there was a knock on your door. You snapped out of your dream and looked through the peep-hole. It was that handsome guy you saw at school. His red hair was rustled slightly by the wind; he suddenly stared straight at you through the peephole, like the door did not even exist. You opened the door shyly, and immediately froze when you saw his amazing beauty. He warmly smiled, tilting his head to the side. You turned a violent red and looked away from him. His emerald eyes burned into your face where he was looking at you.

He asked, "Is something wrong?"

You replied to him with a swift head shaking, meaning no.  
He continued to stare at you. Eventually, the wind picked up, and you shivered slightly. He took off his school coat and wrapped it gently around your shoulders, smiling. The mystery man seemed rather cheerful, but those eyes… something was different about him. You started to ask him about the forest incident, when suddenly the wall to the back of your apartment burst in a fiery blast of a black-hilted sword.  
He instinctively grabbed you, protecting you from harm. It was his nature. The way he was brought up, to protect. His long red hair tangled with your blonde hair as the wind from the blast blew against you two.  
You looked over to where it came from, tried to turn, when you realized his arms were around you and he was protecting you from the flying debris. You pushed your head into his chest for protection, snuggled deeper into him. When the rushing wind passed, you opened your squinting eyes and looked up at him, just to find he was looking back at you. He was wearing an "are you okay?" look on his face, and there was a piece of dust in between his eyes.

You giggled softly and said, "I don't know who you are…"

You brought your hand up to his face to wipe it away and he went cross eyed, watching your hand, "… but you seem very nice."

He smiled at you. You looked back to your destroyed apartment and saw a black figure standing there. You realized the dire situation and since you were only human, you did the most human thing you could do; faint. It appeared that the mystery man caught you and carried you away from the scene. He knew that the authorities would come over time.  
The next time you came to your senses, you were asleep and he placed a warm cloth on your forehead. Your sparkly blue eyes opened quickly and you struggled to sit up. He restrained you and told you to rest. You looked at him, a faint redness in your face. The room was large with soft green walls, but extremely tidy. There was no spare inch of dirtiness in that room. Only one red Japanese paper light with the symbols for "passion" (情熱) on it was hanging from the roof, its soft light illuminating the room.

He smiled and said in his wholesome voice, "I'm glad you are alright!"

You sat up; this time he did not stop you.

You violently inquired to him, "Where am I, who are you, and what is happening with my apartment?"

He looked around anxiously and finally met your gaze and said, "I am Suichi Minamino... I was only at your school because I had to talk to your principal. She made me wear the uniform. I normally go toRukafuchiHigh school."

"_Kurama," _He thought.

"After you passed out I took you to my house. Your apartment…It is a long story. Also, since you live so far from your school, you will be transferring to mine. I'll show you around on Monday."

He looked away from you, then cautiously stood up, "I went back to your apartment and brought you all of your important things; wallet, clothes, etc. I just thought you would need them, since you can't go back to your apartment,"

He pointed toward the direction of the door and continued, "I got in there before the police arrived since they would probably call it a crime scene. Since you don't have a place to stay, I figured you could stay in my guest room. Your bags are all down there."

He sat down on the bed next to you, his hands both on one knee that he had pulled against his body, and looked at the roof, "I know this is probably really hard for you, but please, know that I wouldn't ever hurt you. Trust me, even though I am a complete stranger."

His hair shone brightly in the minimal light, and he seemed so perfect to you. He turned in your direction and saw you, your long blonde hair had fallen in your face, your eyes filled with sparkling tears, and he pulled back in surprise. The pain and confusion welled up in you like an overflowing bathtub.

Suddenly the tears started to silently pour down your face, and you gasped out, "Oh Suichi…" and fell onto him, your arms wrapped tightly around his midsection, sprawled out on his bed.

He jerked back in shock for a moment, his hand steadying himself so he didn't topple over, and then relaxed and started to slowly pet your hair. You sobbed into his shirt, his arms still wrapped tightly around you. He pulled you up to look at him with his hand. Suddenly when you looked at him, you saw two white fox ears on the top of his head. They moved slightly. He put one warm hand on your face and wiped away your tears. You pointed at his ears, a crazy, and "what kind of freak are you" sort of look on your face. His hands immediately went up to his head where he felt his ears.

"Oh no… not now," he said, his eyes going wide. His ears were twitching, busy at work.

* * *

Okay okay... I'm sorry I couldn't help it. I had to have him have fox ears in his human form.  
Tell me ifI am moving the storyline along too fast! I need to know these things!  
Oh also, I'm sorry if you are disturbed by the way I spell 'Suichi'. I've just always spelt it that way.  
Read and Review please!


	3. My Beating Heart

disclaimer... I don't own YYH. Kay?

Sorry If they are so short... These are pre written, so I don't really have any control over the storyline until about the 8 or 9th chapter...

Thank you for all of your input everyone!  
Now... To the story!

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You went pale. "Is…that even possible? Are those real?" 

He nodded reluctantly, his eyes glowing.  
You felt your body quiver, and you moved backward from the bed a little. You fell off the bed, quickly backing into the corner of the room.  
Then, something shocked you. In backing up, you ran into something.

It wasn't a wall; you thought…it was warm.

You looked up to see those same red eyes from before. They were staring back at you, that aroma swirling around you like spilt sake. You wanted to scream and become completely confused, but you stopped. Something felt…normal about this, like they were going to help you. So who ever screamed at their helpers?

You looked at him, he looking down at you, and said quietly, "…You're short."

His thin eyebrows went into a knot as he glared at you and said, "You think I didn't know that you baka nigen?"

You smiled. "Yeah…I figured as much."

Kurama was laughing quietly behind a sleeve he had stuffed in his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud hysterically.

He said to the black haired person after recovering from his laugh-attack, "Hiei, how many times have you been called short?"

Hiei turned away from him, very irked, and just replied, "Hn."

Continuing on, you got up and walked over to Kurama. You stood behind him and reached out your arms. His eyes were trying to follow you and make sure you weren't doing anything bad. You started to pet his ears, as if he was an animal.

He asked you in a wavering voice full of pleasure, "Do you have a cat?"

You nodded. "Three, but one died of old age recently. What's very strange is she was my cat, not my sibling's, and her name was Rose."

He tensed up, thinking, "What does she think she knows?"

He felt as though he couldn't stay tensed up for long because the ear-scratching he was getting was so comfortable.  
Driven by suspicion, you cautiously breathed in through your nose. Not only could you smell Hiei, but you could smell the strong scent of roses. Kurama, by now, had crumpled onto his bed where you continued to scratch him behind the ears. His beautiful emerald eyes flickered with sleep.  
You continued to pet his ears, sometimes petting his hair. Hiei by now had left the room in sheer anger, stomping and tromping around outside, mumbling curses to himself.  
This was the first actual time that you and Suichi had been alone since the apartment event, and he was almost asleep. You continued to pet him until you heard his soft breathing, he was asleep.

You looked at him and thought, "He looks so peaceful," suddenly finding your self blushing.

You knew he was asleep, and you knelt down to his level. Suichi was still sleeping, and you felt kind of bad for watching him. You were looking at him, when suddenly you saw him get closer, until your noses were almost touching. Were you moving? Or was he?  
He could feel you almost touching his face, sensing your energy, smelling your perfumed hair with his delicate nose. He did not know exactly what was going on, until he cocked his ears and heard your heart beating feverishly. Then he realized what was going on. It was a nervous heart beat, he thought, like a rabbit's…  
Your face was beet-red and you could feel the blood rushing in your ears. Suichi's eyes suddenly flashed open, and he sat up. He was never asleep from the beginning, you suddenly realized. You shook slightly and cradled yourself in your arms. You were blushing so badly you could _feel_ your face turning red. Turning to furiously leave the room, you saw Suichi staring at you, his face even redder than yours felt.

"He must have just realized what was going on," you thought,"…but was that him or me?"

He looked away, his breathing intensifying. You opened your mouth to say sorry, but all that came out was a loud "aw" that drove your insides into a knot. You walked over and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry Suichi-chan." You said simply, your eyes glowing. You looked straight into his eyes and he stared back.

He answered back, "It's…not a problem."

Your faces were both very red when you sat there, your eyes both wide and staring somewhere else than each other. This moment was the longest awkward moment you have had in a while.  
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, you stood up and walked to the door.

"I…should probably go get settled in the guest room. I will be down there if you…need me." You taunted slyly.

What you didn't see was Suichi was kicking himself for not saying something he must have wanted to say.  
You walked out of view from the doorway and you put your hands over your mouth to keep from giggling. Face red, you walked down the spiral staircase that brought you to a quiet little room. You opened the door slightly to see the little short demon, Hiei, lacing through your bags. He had pulled out one of your lacy pink bras, and had somehow tied it onto his head. It seemed to be a little big. He pulled out a hair brush, as you continued to watch him, and placed it on the bed next to him. You were not only infuriated, but also curious as to what he was looking for. He pulled out your necklace, a necklace you had been looking for. You were searching for it since last year; when your late grandmother gave it to you. It was a beautiful glowing blue stone, and she was very proud of it. She found it lying in the forest, a chunk missing from it. She said it made her feel very youthful every time she wore it, and was seen wearing it until a few weeks before she passed. Hiei seemed to be very interested in the necklace, and he watched it until suddenly he looked away from it. You laughed as quietly as you could and pushed the door open just enough for you to squeeze in.

"Hi Hiei. Nice hat." You told him, your face shining with laughter.

He looked up at you and his eyes went wide. Then suddenly he disappeared; only your bra remained.

You laughed, muttering to yourself, "Strange guy…"

You moved your bags, letting yourself fall down on the medium sized bed that was against the right wall. It bounced, but was surprisingly good quality for a guest room. Your perfect figure sank into the puffy sheets, and you felt like you hadn't slept in days. Suddenly, something felt wrong. You sat up, your head swimming. Lightly you touched your hand to your face and looked in a mirror over the vanity. Eventually your eyes blurred. Your arms were burning furiously. You looked at them, your eyes blurring in and out. There were green rose plants wrapped around them tightly, the thorns digging deeply into your arms. You continued to watch them, as suddenly the blood was sucked up into the plant, to turn into a blood-colored rose. Your eyes closed and your breathing was in short, quick gasps. You fell off the bed and pulled your limbs to your body.

Suichi walked into the room, saw you on the floor, and muttered, "So. She is the one."

* * *

Btw... (by the way)  
Baka- Idiot  
Nigen- Human (thank you **Sroa Dwin**!)


	4. The Day Drags On

Hay Hay Everyone! I'm updating! Thanks **Sonya-White-Angel** for all the encouragement (sp?)! Sorry that its so short… I've got a massive amount of homework…

* * *

He knelt down to help you from his trap. 

Suddenly you heard, "Chi? Are you okay?"

Your eyes flashed open and you looked into the eyes that sparkled with concern and almost tears. You relaxed and looked to your arms. Suichi's hands were squeezing them tightly. He saw you look at his hands and he loosened his grip, in concern he was hurting you. Your eyes half closed and from all the stress you fell back on the bed.

"What…was that?" you asked him, your eyes still closed.

"I came down here to check on you but you were having a nightmare. You must have fallen asleep." He replied, his eyes wandering.

You sighed lightly and said, "You don't know anything about me, huh? Was I just some random girl you decided to protect? Or are you some abductor?"

You could tell he was troubled by his voice. He said, "I can't really tell you anything…"

You began to get angry and you sat up, looking directly at him. Your anger began to recede when you saw his eyes sparkle, his mouth turned into a gentle smile.

You told him, "I'm sorry… It's just a little hard being on my own. You see, my mother died shortly after my sister was born, and we don't know who my dad is. My sister went to go live with my aunt, and my aunt is letting me live in her other apartment, the one that was just desecrated. Oh boy," you began, "How am I going to tell her that her apartment spontaneously combusted?"

He looked somberly at you and said, "We should deal with that later. Would you like something to drink?"

You nodded. You were very thirsty since the whole event happened. He left the room to get you a glass of water and you stared at the necklace, its blue light shining brightly in the dull sunlight that was filtering through the window. You were starting to get used to the whole thing here, the bad dreams, the things blowing up, the odd looking people, the fox ears…  
Kurama went out into the kitchen, talking to his mother. He told her all about you, everything except what happened in his bedroom. Shiori, his mother, noticed his fox ears, and asked about them. No response. He tried to change the subject while he poured you a glass of water, when he suddenly stopped and looked at his hand. There was blood on it. He turned his palm over to see a large gash. Taking some bandages, he quickly closed it up and went downstairs with your water. Somehow that didn't surprise him.  
When he walked in, you walked over to him and began to feel his velvet ears again.

He still held your cup of water, and you looked straight into his eyes and told him, "I love your ears. They are so soft… They remind me of a big fuzzy blanket."

He chuckled modestly and said, "Yes, I have never felt them myself though. I brought you the drink you wanted,"

He handed it to you and you gulped it down feverishly. You nodded in thanks and handed him the cup. When you handed him the cup, you saw his hand was bandaged. Reading your movements, he looked at his hand and with out a word, pointed to your arms. You looked at them and saw there were some minor scratches. You gasped.

"So…it wasn't a dream?" you uttered.

He shook his head in reply, telling you, "No… No it wasn't. It was a test. Remember that time in my room? When you came close to me, I had Hiei plant a Rokoyokai seed on your body to see if you were pure in spirit. Let's just say you passed. If you hadn't, you wouldn't be here right now. The Demon Rose would have eaten your soul."

You fell back on the bed, your head pounding. "Who are these people?" you thought, "and what do they want with me? Am I special or something?"

He looked at you, thinking. Not necessarily about you, but just everything in general. He recalled what someone was telling him, how the whole team decided he should be the one because he is the most polite, how Hiei was interfering. He himself began to get tired, and he glanced toward the clock. It was about 10:00 at night.

"Where does the time go?" he said to you, walking toward the door. "I will be up in my room if something goes wrong."

And with that, he left the room. You stayed exactly how you were; you just closed your eyes. You promptly fell into a light sleep.  
In the dead of the night, there was a creaking noise. Like someone was in the room with you. You woke up, fearing it was Hiei digging through your bags again, and found it to be a little cat. She was a kitten, probably about 6-8 months old. Her fur was golden with some shiny white spots, and two perfect black ears. Swishing her tail, she mewed softly and jumped up onto the bed, pawing at your hair. You smirked at it and reached out an arm. Right when you placed your hand on her head, she disappeared! You waved your hand right where the kitten just was, and still did not see anything other than open air.

"That's really weird," you thought, sitting up quickly, "I will have to ask Suichi about it in the morning."

You rolled over and went back to sleep.

Suichi and Hiei were watching you from the window, seeing if you were capable.

"So, she _is_ the one, Kurama. Good job." Hiei said quietly.

He looked over to Kurama, "I just don't understand why you have the baka calling you Suichi."

Kurama looked uneasy.  
"I didn't want her to know the truth until she absolutely had to."

When morning arrived, you woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs under your nose. You opened your eyes and sat up to see Kurama walk in with a tray of food.

"Breakfast is served! Eat well because we have school in a few hours." He said cheerily, his mouth turned into a gentle smile. He set down the tray and backed a few steps away from the bed.

Your eyes went wide and you asked him, "Did you cook this?"

He nodded proudly, little red patches appearing on his cheeks. You picked up your fork and carefully, almost cautiously, stabbed at the egg. Realizing it wasn't poisoned or going to explode, you stuffed the whole thing in your mouth and began to shovel the food in like a bulldozer.

He laughed slightly and then said to you while dodging half-chewed food, "I… think you might want some orange juice with that…" and then left.

You continued to eat until you realized he wasn't there anymore, and you swallowed hard. Forking the remains of the hash browns, you tentatively opened your mouth to shove it in. Suddenly the door flew open and you dropped your fork. It was Hiei.

Gasping, you yelled at him, "Geez Hiei, you ever heard of knocking! You almost made me choke!"

He looked at you but didn't reply. Kurama walked in slowly, and handed you some orange juice. You took the cup but didn't drink anything as you watched Hiei rip of his bandana. There was an eye under it!

* * *

I know…. I suck at cliffhangers… Well, find out what Hiei is gonna do with his Jagan in the next chapter! 


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